In the 2016 election, almost half of eligible voters did not cast a ballot, and in local elections, the statistics are even more alarming — fewer than 15% of eligible voters turned out to elect the mayors and councilmembers who make decisions every day that directly impact their communities.

By joining, mayors commit to increase voter registration and participation in their cities by: Mobilizing local civic leaders, business leaders, community members and stakeholders in voter engagement efforts to safely register and get out the vote in their communities; Sharing promising practices with the Civic Cities network of mayors; and Acting as trusted messengers in their communities to share information and resources for voters to safely make their voices heard.

In Milwaukee, Mayor Tom Barrett supports the Safe Vote Program to mail absentee ballot applications to its roughly 300,000 registered voters.

In Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Board of Elections announced the Vote Safe DC campaign to make sure every vote is counted and everyone, from voters to election workers, feels safe.

Now meet the rest of our 31 bipartisan founding members of Civic Cities: Atlanta, GA: Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms

Augusta, GA: Mayor Hardie Davis

Austin, TX: Mayor Steve Adler

Boston, MA: Mayor Marty Walsh

Carmel, IN: Mayor James Brainard

Chattanooga, TN: Mayor Andy Berke

Chicago, IL: Mayor Lori Lightfoot

Dayton, OH: Mayor Nan Whaley

Denver, CO: Mayor Michael Hancock

Detroit, MI: Mayor Mike Duggan

Durham, NC: Mayor Steve Schewel

Ft. Worth, TX: Mayor Betsy Price

Grand Rapids, MI: Mayor Rosalyn Bliss

Houston, TX: Mayor Sylvester Turner

Lansing, MI: Mayor Andy Schor

Los Angeles, CA: Mayor Eric Garcetti

Louisville, KY: Mayor Greg Fischer

Madison, WI: Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway

Mesa, AZ: Mayor  John Giles

Milwaukee, WI: Mayor Tom Barrett

Minneapolis, MN: Mayor Jacob Frey

Orlando, FL: Mayor Buddy Dyer

Parkland, FL: Mayor Christine Hunchofsky

Philadelphia, PA: Mayor James Kenney

Phoenix, AZ: Mayor Kate Gallego

Reno, NV: Mayor Hillary Schieve

San Leandro, CA: Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter

Scranton, PA: Mayor Paige Cognetti

Tacoma, WA: Mayor Victoria Woodards

Washington, DC: Mayor Muriel Bowser

West Sacramento, CA: Mayor Chris Cabaldon As trusted voices in their communities, mayors have the power to substantially increase the number of people in their communities who cast their ballots, and are uniquely positioned to mobilize civic leaders, business leaders, school systems, local colleges, and community members.